CHAPTER XXXII. 
THE NI-SHI-NAM. 
Several pioneers, including General Bidwell, classify as one nation all 
the Indians from Big Chico Creek to American River or the Cosumnes. 
They were chiefly acquainted with the tribes on the plains, and so far as 
these are concerned I do not object to the classification; but I prefer to 
group together all the mountain Indians from Bear River to the Cosumnes 
as a separate nation for several reasons: 
1. Difference in the names used by the Indians. North of Bear River 
it is mai’-du, mai’-deh; south, it is né-shi-nam, md-na, mai'-dek. All these 
words denote simply ‘“‘men” or “Indians”, though nishinam seems to mean 
“our people”, from ni-sham, a dialectic form for “we”. 
2. The criterion of the numerals is not infallible, though it is a toler- 
ably correct guide in determining linguistic affinities. In a language 
abounding in dialects the numerals sometimes are more subject to change 
than any other words in equally common use; sometimes less. I give 
below a table of numerals, both Maidu and Nishinam, taken in the follow- 
ing places respectively: the first column in Concow Valley, the second at 
Chico, the third at Auburn, the fourth at Latrobe. 
! 
KONKAU. YUBA. NISHINAM. WAPUMNI. 
One. | wuk’-teh. wuk’-teh. | wut’-teh. wit -ti. 
Two. | pe’-nim. pa -nem. | pen’. pen’. 
Three. | sha’-pwi. sha’-pwi. | sa/-pwi. sa’-pwi. 
Four. | ch’u’-yeh. chu’-yeh. | chu’-i. chu’-1. 
Five. | ma-cha‘neh. ma-cha’-nem. | mauk. | ma’-wek. 
Six. sai’ -so-ko. shai’-cho-ko. | tim’-bo. | tum’-bo. 
Seven. | pen-nem’-bo. pa-nem-boh. | top’-wi. | pe’-nem-boh. 
Hight. | s’w-ye-so-ko. ma’-hi-cho-ko. | pent’-swi. | pen’-chu-i. 
Nine. | ch’e’-nem-a-cho-ko. | he’-wal-. | pel’-loh. chu’-1m-boh. 
Ten. | ma’-cho-ko. ma’-cho-ko. | ma’-chum. | ma’-chum. 
2 | 
213 
